Business and Basis of Presentation

12 Months Ended

Dec. 31, 2021

1. Business and Basis of Presentation

Business

The Western Union Company (“Western Union” or the “Company”) is a leader in global money movement and payment services, providing people and businesses with fast, reliable, and convenient ways to send money and make payments around the world. The Western Union® brand is globally recognized. The Company’s services are available through a network of agent locations in more than 200 countries and territories and also through money transfer transactions conducted and funded through websites and mobile applications marketed under the Company’s brands (“westernunion.com”) and transactions initiated on internet and mobile applications hosted by the Company’s third-party white label or co-branded digital partners (together with westernunion.com, “Digital Money Transfer”). Each location in the Company’s agent network is capable of providing one or more of the Company’s services.

The Western Union business consists of the following segments:

•

Consumer-to-Consumer - The Consumer-to-Consumer operating segment facilitates money transfers, which are sent from retail agent locations worldwide or through websites and mobile devices, including Digital Money Transfer services. The Company’s money transfer service is provided through one interconnected global network. This service is available for international cross-border transfers and, in certain countries, intra-country transfers.

•

Business Solutions - The Business Solutions operating segment facilitates payment and foreign exchange solutions, primarily cross-border, cross-currency transactions, for small and medium size enterprises and other organizations and individuals. The significant majority of the Business Solutions business relates to exchanges of currency at spot rates, which enable customers to make cross-currency payments. In addition, in certain countries, the Company writes foreign currency forward and option contracts for customers to facilitate future payments. On August 4, 2021, the Company entered into an agreement to sell its Business Solutions business to Goldfinch Partners LLC and The Baupost Group LLC. See Note 5 for further information regarding this transaction.

All businesses and other services that have not been classified in the above segments are reported as Other, which primarily includes the Company’s bill payment services which facilitate payments from consumers to businesses and other organizations and the Company’s money order services. In May 2019, the Company sold a substantial majority of its United States based electronic bill payment services, as discussed in Note 5. The Company’s other services, in addition to certain corporate costs such as costs related to strategic initiatives, including costs for the review and closing of mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures, are also included in Other. See Note 18 for further information regarding the Company’s segments.

There are legal or regulatory limitations on transferring certain assets of the Company outside of the countries where these assets are located. However, there are generally no limitations on the use of these assets within those countries. Additionally, the Company must meet minimum capital requirements in some countries in order to maintain operating licenses. As of December 31, 2021, the Company's restricted net assets associated with these asset limitations and minimum capital requirements totaled approximately $460 million.

Various aspects of the Company’s services and businesses are subject to United States federal, state, and local regulation, as well as regulation by foreign jurisdictions, including certain banking and other financial services regulations.

Basis of Presentation

The financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10‑K are presented on a consolidated basis and include the accounts of the Company and its majority-owned subsidiaries. All significant intercompany transactions and accounts have been eliminated.

Consistent with industry practice, the accompanying Consolidated Balance Sheets are unclassified due to the short-term nature of the Company’s settlement obligations contrasted with the Company’s ability to invest cash awaiting settlement in long-term investment securities.

Cash Flow Classification Revision

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2021, the Company revised its presentation to include changes in settlement cash associated with settlement obligations as a financing activity and changes in settlement cash from purchases, proceeds, and maturities of settlement investments as an investing activity within its Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows. Previously, the changes in settlement assets and settlement obligations were presented on a net basis within operating activities in the Company’s Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows.

Prior year amounts have been revised to conform to this presentation. These changes in presentation have been concluded to be immaterial, having no impact on the Company’s previously reported net income, financial position, or cash flows from operating activities, as changes in the Company’s settlement assets exactly offset changes in its settlement obligations. However, the revised presentation shows all changes associated with settlement cash in the Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows instead of in the Notes to the Consolidated Financial Statements.

The following tables present the effects of the changes in presentation of these cash flows, compared to the previously reported Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (in millions):


	Year Ended December 31, 2020
	As Previously
	Reported(a)			Revisions			As Revised
Net cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities	$	877.5		$	—		$	877.5
Investing activities(b)		(113.4	)		(260.1	)		(373.5	)
Financing activities(c)		(773.5	)		587.6			(185.9	)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents, including settlement, and restricted cash	$	(9.4	)	$	327.5		$	318.1

(a)

As reported in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 19, 2021.

(b)

The financial statement lines included in Investing activities are Purchases of settlement investments, Proceeds from the sale of settlement investments, and Maturities of settlement investments.

(c)

The financial statement line included in Financing activities is Net change in settlement obligations.


	Year Ended December 31, 2019
	As Previously
	Reported(a)			Revisions			As Revised
Net cash provided by/(used in):
Operating activities	$	914.6		$	—		$	914.6
Investing activities(b)		632.3			(465.3	)		167.0
Financing activities(c)		(1,069.8	)		(414.3	)		(1,484.1	)
Net change in cash and cash equivalents, including settlement, and restricted cash	$	477.1		$	(879.6	)	$	(402.5	)

(a)

As reported in the Company's Form 10-K filed with the SEC on February 20, 2020.

(b)

The financial statement lines included in Investing activities are Purchases of settlement investments, Proceeds from the sale of settlement investments, and Maturities of settlement investments.

(c)

The financial statement line included in Financing activities is Net change in settlement obligations.